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The Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel was a Syndication network drama series created by Jack Kenny which airing from January 6 to January 20, 2006, lasting for one season & 8 episodes (leaving 4 of them unaired). Syndication promoted the series as a serious drama about Christians and the Christian faith, but it was controversial with some Christians. It was originally proposed for Syndication's 2005 fall line-up, but was rescheduled as a 2006 mid-season replacement. Plot Reverend Daniel Webster, an Episcopal minister who is addicted to narcotic painkillers, turns to a modern incarnation of Jesus to help him deal with issues in his personal and professional lives. Cast *Aidan Quinn as Daniel Webster *Susanna Thompson as Judith Webster *Ivan Shaw as Adam Webster *Garret Dillahunt as Jesus *Alison Pill as Grace Webster *Christian Campbell as Peter Webster *Ellen Burstyn as Beatrice Congreve *Dylan Baker as Roger Northrup Controversy The New York Times reported Syndication had difficulty selling advertising during "The Book of Daniel" even after offering significant rate discounts due to controversial content Eight of NBC's 232 affiliates refused to carry the program due to viewer complaints: WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee (owned by the Meredith Corporation); WGBC in Meridian, Mississippi; WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi, and six stations owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group – WTWO in Terre Haute, Indiana; KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas; KFTA-TV/KNWA-TV in Fayetteville-Fort Smith, Arkansas (the former is now affiliated with Fox); KAMR in Amarillo, Texas and KBTV-TV in Beaumont, Texas (owned at the time by Nexstar, now owned by Deerfield Media and affiliated with Fox). Most of the affiliates refusing to air the program were located in the Bible Belt. After KARK-TV refused to air the series, KWBF (now MyNetworkTV affiliate KARZ-TV, which was then an affiliate of The WB) picked it up. The company stated that it was excited to offer an outlet for viewers in the central Arkansas area who wanted to watch the show. However, the station soon received a number of threats, which required it to hire extra security. Both KARK-TV and KARZ have been owned by Nexstar since 2009, some three years after the show's cancellation. Several stations in Michigan, including WDIV in Detroit (owned by Post-Newsweek), WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids (owned by LIN), WILX in Lansing (owned by Gray Television) and Barrington Broadcasting stations WPBN and WTOM in Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie, and WLUC in Marquette did not air the show's second episode (although this was due to a live broadcast of the 2006 North American International Auto Show Charity Preview and not necessarily the controversy). NBC's Salt Lake City affiliate, KSL-TV (whose owner, Bonneville International, is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), did carry "The Book of Daniel" despite the station's history of preempting shows claiming that they would offend Utah's religious population. Cancellation On January 24, 2006, Syndication announced that "The Book of Daniel" had been dropped from the schedule; the last airing of the show was on January 20, 2006. The January 20th episode was the fourth in the series, drawing 5.8 million viewers.Syndication gave no official explanation for the show's cancellation. Category:2000s television series Category:2006 Category:2006 endings Category:2006 debuts Category:Syndication